Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Kam's Roast Goose

This restaurant has got the Michelin 1-star status since 2015, located in Wanchai very near to my office. But throughout the years I did not come here for lunch or dinner, not because I heard the food was not food, but simply that every time I went by the queue waiting was too long, and for an impatient person like myself it is not bearable.

With the Michelin award for 2019 just published the restaurant was still on the list. And tonight I decided to try my luck. Coming very early at 6pm, the queue was just horrible but I said to myself I would wait. In the end it took 80 minutes before we got our table. Yes, it was long but at least the staff had organized the registration nicely and so it was well-managed and fair.

The story of the restaurant was well documented, so I did not repeat here. Instead I would focus on the food and dining experience. When we were queuing the staff smartly asked us the portion of roast goose we prefer, and we figured out that they wanted to ensure that there were sufficient goose for the people waiting, as there are quite a lot of takeaways too. In this respect they are really thoughtful.

We ordered half a Roast Goose ($280) and it was served still hot. While the skin might not be as crispy as some other restaurants in town, I found the flesh very tender, juicy and flavorful. The goose was not too fat also. In fact I honestly say this is one of the best roast goose I had in HK, and certainly better than the couple of restaurants in my neighborhood in Sham Tseng. Also, with its fame the price is still very reasonable. I give them high marks on all these and understand how they earned the Michelin status all these years.

We also ordered the Marinated Goose Liver ($55). The portion was big and there are many pieces, cooked perfectly to the right softness and marinated sufficiently to impart the flavors of the sauce while not making it excessively salty. I detected some Chinese 'Rose Spirit' bringing the signature fragrance. While it might not be healthy, this is certainly tasty.

To balance a bit the evilness of consuming so much cholesterol, we also had the Poached Vegetable ($33). The choi sum was tender and without fibrous remains, also nicely done not to overcook making it too soft while not undercook to make it tough to bite. Another testimony to the quality of the restaurant and attention they pay to the most common and simple dish.

I saw on social media many people complained about the service of this restaurant. And here I would in fact like to provide my opinion. While the staff did have some rough edges, they are not rude or providing bad service. It was so busy that sometimes they might not be able to respond to orders promptly. We had some small talks with the staff and to me they are genuine and honest, and maybe not used to 'dress up' on how they communicate. It was not a fine dining restaurant so we should not expect that level of service. I overheard they apologized to customers who did not have what they want because it was sold out.

With two bowls of rice, and rice noodle, plus two cans of soft drink, the total bill was $493. A very reasonable price indeed. Considering the quality of food and its fame, they would still be as busy if they decided to increase the price but I can feel the owner (who worked in the restaurant) was not just looking at money. I applaud him for his effort and the spirit to follow the principles and values laid down by his grandfather, and hope they could continue this for more generations to come.